He said: “We can expect everything from blizzards over the Scottish Highlands to heavy rain in the south and winds potentially reaching storm force over western Britain with 90mph gusts.

“There will be a lot of wintry showers in gusty west winds, with snow over hills as far south as Dartmoor and Exmoor by Tuesday.

“We need to watch how another huge and very deep Atlantic low will develop and move east on Wednesday to Thursday, which at the moment threatens to move on a more southerly track.”

It is set to remain unsettled and windy into next week with the added risk of snow on high ground

Chris Burton

Chris Burton for The Weather Network added: “‘It is set to remain unsettled and windy into next week with the added risk of snow on high ground.”

The Met Office said the unsettled conditions which have blighted the start to 2015 show signs of stretching through to next month.

It’s 30-day outlook states: “The current signal is for the latter part of January and also early February to remain generally unsettled.

“This will bring periods of mild, but also dull, wet and often windy weather, interspersed by clearer, colder and showery spells with frosty nights.”

Forecaster Calum MacColl said the unusually powerful jet stream is dragging storms in from the United States.

He warned of a “very unsettled” week ahead with a plunge in temperatures also bringing snow to Wales and southwest England.

He said: “This is all due to a very steep thermal gradient over America which is acting like a breeding ground for these low pressure systems.

“On Monday we have a low tracking over Scotland which will bring in a much colder front with wintry showers in even in the southwest.

“The we have a deep low pressure coming in on Wednesday with winds reaching their peak into Thursday, there will also be persistent and heavy rain.

“As we move into a colder regime we could see snow for quite a time and we can’t rule out something wintery at low levels next weekend.”

The weather warning came as thousands of people started a third day yesterday (sun) without power after gale force winds, ice and snow brought a weekend of disruption to Britain’s transport and power networks

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In Scotland, where winds reached up to 113mph, some homes in the very north of the country have been without electricity since Friday.

Engineers have been working in “treacherous and worsening conditions” to reconnect properties, while charity workers from the Red Cross have been working to reach vulnerable people and provide food, accommodation and generators where possible.

Anne Eadie, co-ordinating the Red Cross response, said: “For everyone affected this is an inconvenience but for many vulnerable people it is a crisis.

“People can be vulnerable because of age, infirmity or a degree of disability. We have been called in to make sure these people are okay and have whatever they need to see this through till power is restored.

“During these visits, we have been delivering gas heaters to households left without heating and providing flasks of hot drinks. If further help is needed, we notify the relevant authorities.”

In England, 2 bodies have been recovered after two men were swept out to sea in severe weather at Brighton beach.

The body of Freddie Reynolds, who was swept out to sea as he tried to rescue his friend Dan Nicholls, was recovered on Saturday. A body fund on the beach at Rottingdean, East Sussex, yesterday morning is believed to be that of Mr Nicholls.

On Saturday a driver died in a one-car crash in Aberdeenshire where weather has been causing problems and police are investigating if it was a factor.

Weather warnings remain in place for tomorrow with further strong winds, snow and ice forecast.

The Met Office has yellow “be aware” weather alerts in place for all of Scotland, the North and Midlands of England, and Northern Ireland for snow and ice.

A gust of 113mph has been recorded at Stornoway on Lewis, the strongest since records at that site began in 1970, while winds of 76mph were recorded at High Bradfield, in South Yorkshire, and in Aberdaron, Gwynedd.

The Met Office warned that unlike storms which battered Scotland last week, the next spell of extreme weather will hit much of the country.

A spokesman added: “Unlike its predecessors, this system looks like taking a more southerly track, with the greatest risk of gales or severe gales being across Wales and England.

“The strongest winds will be in southern and western exposure where severe gales are likely.

“As well as the very strong winds, a band of squally rain is also likely to push southeast across England and Wales.” As temperature begin to drop, heavy snow has already left a blanket of white across the north including Cumbria and Durham.